Bog Oak is the somewhat unromantic name for native timber that has been preserved in wetlands for several millenia.
Generally, when people talk of natural materials that have been preserved for so long the mean fossils – bones, leaves, shells etc. that have turned to stone; but Bog Oaks are not like stone, in fact they’re not like anything else at all.
Bog Oak is a unique material with unique properties!
See Bog Oak at the Creating Landscapes Show 25th-26th Cctober 2011 at Capel Manor College
A Bog Oak is the preserved remains of a native tree that would have been growing around 400 years before Stone Henge was built. It would have grown in a pollution-free atmosphere, with no artifical fertilisers or pesticides and it would have provided food and shelter for many hundreds of early life-forms.
These great oaks grew between the lakes and swamps of the Neolithic wetlands we know as East Anglia. Trees and branches that fell in the lakes were preserved for all times in the anaerobic conditions.
During the natural preservation process, most of the features of the timber have remained intact. Growth rings are clear, as is the texture of the bark and the pattern of the woodgrain. The timber itself has a very deep colour – almost black which in places takes on rich red, brown and orange hues reflecting the mineral content of the ground it has rested in for the past 5,000 years.
Bog Oak comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes and can be used in a variety of ways from flower arranging to aquarium furniture, stepping stones to contemporary garden features.
Used out of doors, all the little nooks and crannies in a typical Bog Oak provided shelter for overwintering insects. Some of our Bog Oaks would make interesting planters for moses, ferns or alpines or they could be sculpted, carved or turned into highly original pieces of garden furniture.
See our catalogue of Bog Oak pieces for examples and details of pieces for sale.